Rainbow Family Peace Lapses

Put too many anarchists in one place, regardless of their goal to pray for world peace, and there's bound to be trouble.

Spokesmen for the Modoc County Sheriff's Office said Harry "Hugs" O'Neill, 47, of Whitehorn, Calif., was arrested Sunday after shattering a pickup truck's windshield with a shovel, then using the shovel to repeatedly strike the vehicle's two occupants.

O'Neill remained incarcerated today at the Modoc County Jail on two charges each of felony assault, felony battery with serious bodily injury, and personal infliction of serious bodily injury.

One victim, Christopher Witcher, 47, of Roan Mountain, Tenn., was flown from the camp to the Mercy Medical Center in Redding, Calif., where police said he was listed in critical condition with a punctured lung, ruptured spleen and head injuries.

Kelly Cook, 44, of Brosnan, Texas, was knocked unconscious but declined medical treatment.

...

One witness said Cook was driving his vehicle through the camp, located at Bearcamp Flat on the Modoc National Forest between Likely and Eagleville, at an unsafe speed.

Police said O'Neill flagged the vehicle to a stop, then struck and shattered the windshield with his shovel. When Witcher exited the vehicle, O'Neill struck him five to 10 times. When Cook tried to assist Witcher, police said he was struck at least three times before passing out.

Using violence to establish order in a collection of anarchists...isn't that part of the reason man developed government?

The assault was one of several incidents at the camp. The incident management team assisting Modoc National Forest officials with managing the event said an arrest was made Saturday for interfering with an officer. In addition, officers recovered a stolen vehicle and apprehended the two people. For safety reason, some vehicles that were blocking Forest Service roads had to be towed. Officers are also making frequent contacts on minor violations.

The law enforcement is being done even as Modoc officials continue efforts to have Rainbow representatives sign a noncommercial special use permit.

One person attending the gathering said Monday he has obtained de facto authorization from the Forest Service. Barry Adams said he and others notified Forest Service officials of the location for this year's assembly site June 10, then met with Modoc officials the following day to discuss resource concerns, at which time oral application for special use was made by Adams.

Adams claims that by law the Forest Service must process all such applications within 48 hours. Unless a written denial is issued within 48 hours, he said proposed events are considered "approved." No denial was issued by June 14, "indicating that the gathering site is approved," Adams said.

Anarchists tend to reject government bureaucracy, though some will accept government benefits like welfare. No question legally that a verbal request is insufficient. The forest service has to gather enough information on such a large event that it can do a limited environmental assessment. Do you suppose a gathering of 20,000 with, for instance, no public latrines will produce a FONSI (finding of no significant impact)? How about fire prevention in a dry forest?

One might think that environmental activists would decry such devastation of a natural area...if one were naive. Too many activists are using environmental issues to push other agendas that involve opposing the government, industry, etc. They're not going to waste their energy fighting a group of anarchists that lacks political power and produces a percentage of their activist base.

Green is too often a banner of convenience, and ideal to project upon others and to selectively ignore as one pleases.

Comments

[nick]

Back when I thought I was an anarchist (I have since discovered that I am a neo-con and/or libertarian, depending on what day it is), I went to a rainbow gathering. As I was standing near the "Power Circle" where people were trying (and failing) to make decisions, this beautiful spanish anarchist woman (maybe there on some sort of exchange program?) said in an aside to me, "These people don't know a f*cking thing about anarchism." If a spaniard says that, you know it's true.
The funny thing (well there are a lot of funny things about rainbow gatherings) is that you aren't supposed to bring guns to a gathering, but it's ok to beat someone with a shovel?

[Tsaria]

It's fine to point out that at a peaceful event someone was violent. But where else are you going to find a city of 20,000-30,000 people in which only one or two commit a violent offence? One woman, interviewed for a paper, said, "There's no way I can be kicked out of this family unless I do violence." :
http://tinyurl.com/ys3la
No one ever said it was okay to do any sort of violence unto others, and I highly doubt this man will be welcome at any future gatherings. Just because one person does not follow the guidelines of the group he associates himself with does not mean that the entire group is either like him or in support of his decisions.

[ronnie]

I attended the gathering in Modoc and I was amazed by the constant love and kindness shown me from this tribe of strangers gathered from everywhere to show the world what peace is like.The one bad apple did not spoil this event for me at all.

[Michelle]

These "rainbow people" are sick, how can they say they provide love and kindness when they abandoned thousands of animals, and beat 2 people with a shovel almost killing one. Yeah these are wonderful people alright, so wonderful they all need to be locked up and the key thrown away.

[Betty]

Shame on you for calling yourselves loving and kind when you would walk away and leave innocent and dependent animals to fend for themselves. May God have mercy on you even though you have shown none.

[Shockey]

The people who are saying the "Rainbow people" are "sick". For reasons such as People hitting people, and "leaving" their dogs. Really need to get their facts straight.

For one. The rainbow family loves and cares for everyone.

For two. People who come to the gathering to expect a party are the ones who throw shovels and leave dogs. But you Dont think about how someone may have LOST their dog, and couldn't find it in the crowds of dogs. I'm pretty damn sure most of the dogs are run aways not dogs that where left on purpose.

So don't go strechin your long pointy fingers at peoples faces that don't need it. People that are crying because they lost their dog and can't find it. To later find out it was shot by a rancher, which isn't the rachers fault. But just remember dogs do run away, some people are just ready to hurt people. And the rainbow gathering is about love, peace and freedom. Not violence hurt crime and anarchy

[Jonathan]

"So don't go strechin your long pointy fingers at peoples faces that don't need it." Nice Betty. Way to stand.

jc